Cricket extras, explained for scorers.

An extra (also called a sundry) is a run added to the team total that was not scored off the bat. Extras decide close matches, and they cause most scoring arguments, so it pays to know them precisely.

The short version

Wide

A wide is a delivery too far from the batter for them to hit with a normal cricket shot. The umpire signals it with both arms stretched out. One run is added to the total, and any runs the batters then run (or that go to the boundary) are added too. A wide is not a legal ball: it does not count toward the six in the over and the bowler must bowl it again. It is charged to the bowler and the batter is not credited with a ball faced.

No-ball and the free hit

A no-ball is an illegal delivery, most often because the bowler overstepped the crease or bowled a high full toss. One run is added as a penalty, and the batter can score off the ball as normal: runs hit off the bat are credited to the batter. Like a wide, it is re-bowled and does not count toward the over.

In limited-overs cricket, the ball after a no-ball is a free hit. The batter cannot be dismissed in most ways, so they can swing freely. A batter on a free hit can still be run out. If the free hit is itself a wide or a no-ball, the next ball is also a free hit. Scorecord arms the free hit automatically after a no-ball and blocks the OUT key until it is used.

Bye

A bye happens when the ball passes the batter without touching the bat or body, and the wicketkeeper cannot stop it, so the batters run. The runs are added to the total as byes. It is a legal ball and counts in the over. The bowler is not charged, and the batter does not get the runs.

Leg bye

A leg bye is the same, except the ball hit the batter’s body (not the bat or the gloved hand holding it) on the way through. For a leg bye to count, the batter must have tried to play the ball or avoid it. If they did not, the runs do not count. It is a legal ball, not charged to the bowler, and not credited to the batter.

House rules

Gully and box cricket often change these rules: a wide might be two runs, there might be no leg byes, or a no-ball might not give a free hit. Agree your rules before the first ball and score what the umpire signals. For the scoring sequence itself, see how to score a cricket match, and for how the symbols look in a scorebook, see scoring symbols.